George woods



(No Model.)

G. WOODS. i Automatic Elevator Gate. No., 241,1; Patented May 3,1881..

N. FETERS. Phoko-Uthognphar, Washington, D. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT ^OFFICEQ GEORGE VVOODS, OF CAMBRIDGEPORT, MASSAUHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF AND GEORGE P. GARTER, OF SAME PLACE.

AUTO MATI C E LEVATO R--G ATE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 24:1,111, dated May 3, 1881.

Application filed March 3, 1881.

I o all whom tt may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE Woons, a citizen of the United States, residing at Cambridgeport in the County of Middlesex and State of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Inprovements in Automatic Elevator-Gates; and I do hereby declare that the same are fully described in the following specification and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

This invention relates to improvements in automatic gates for elevators; and it is especially designed to automatically open and close gates forfreight-elevators, although it may also be used in connection with other kinds of elevators, if so desired.

The invention is carried out as follows, reference being had to the accompan yin g drawin gs, on which- Figure 1 represents a plan View. Fi g. 2 represents a front elevation; and Fig. 3 represents a longitudinal section, the upper part of the latter figure showing a modification of the invention.

Similar letters refer to similar parts wherever they occur on the different partsrof the drawings.

a represents the elevator-well.

I b represent floors in the building through which the well passes, as usual.

c is the elevator car or platform, with its uprights c' c' and horizontal beam c, in the usual nanner.

d is the rope or equivalent devicc by means of which the car c is raised and lowered, and c e are the stationary guides in the elevatorwell a for the car c, in the ordinary way.

F represents the automatic self opening and closing gate, that is provided on its sides with projections or rollers ff f' f as shown, which projections or rollers are guided in the grooves g g, made in the uprights of the gate-frames G Gr, and the said grooves are made Vertical up to a place, g', near their upper cnds, where they are curved away from the eleVator-well a, as shown in Fig. 3,t"or a purpose to be hereinafter described. On the gate F, toward the well a, are made a pair of teeth or projections, h h, havmg upper inclned faces, h' h', as shown.

To the upper end of the car c are secured the (No model.)

horizontal arns or supports M, to the forward ends of which are hinged, at k' k', the gatelifters k k, as shown.

l is a cord or rope or chain, secured to the upper end of the gate F, and thence carried over the guide-pulleys Z' l" to the balanceweiglt m, to which its other end is fastened. The balance-weight m is movable np and down in the box o during the up-and-down notion of the gate F.

a is a piston fitting loosely within the box o, which piston is secured in a suitable manner to the weightm; or it may be made in one piece with the same.

p is a perforation in the lower part of the box 0, which is covered on the outside of said box with an air outlet valve, q, as shown.

The operation of the invention is as follows: The gate F being made somewhat leavier than its balance-weight m, the former will remain in the closed position shown in the drawings when not acted on by the ascending car, and when the latter, in its upward motion, reaches the point shown'in Fig. 3, its gate-lifters k 75 come in contact with the under sides of the gate-projections h IL, by which the gate F is made to ascend with the car c until the upper rollers or projections, f' f', on the gate F reach the curvatures g' g' in the upper end of the grooves gg, when the upper part of the gate F and its projections h h is tilted slightly away from the well a, sufficient to allow the gate-lifters k k to' be disengaged from the gate-projections h IL, when the gate will be released and allowed to descend gradually to its closing` position, as shown in Fig. 2 5 and during the descent of said gate the balance-weight m and piston a are correspondingly raised in the box 0, thereby producing a partial vacuum in said box 0 below the piston n, by which the gate is prevented from dropping down'too suddenly onto its bearings. During the upward motion of the piston nand weight m the walve q remains closed and the air above the piston n passes gradually out through a small perforation, r, in the upper end of the box o. .During the descent of the weight m and its piston n the air below them passes out through the lower valVe-hole, p, and the air enters the upper part of the box o through the hole r.

IOO

When, during the descent of the elevatorcar c, its gate-lifters k k reach the inclined upper faces, h h', ofthe gate-projections 71 L, said gatelifters 70 70 are automatically turned on their hinges k' k by their contact with the stationary gate-projections h h, allowing the elevatorcar c to pass freely downward without acting on the gate F.

The gate F .may be raised by hand at any desired time during the descent of the car or otherwise, as may be desired; but as soon as the operator ceases to hold it up it will desccnd by its own gravity to its normal closed position, as shown in Fig. 2.

In the modification shown in the upper part of Fig. 3 the balance-weight is dispensed with in the box and a slotted opening, o", made through its side, in which the bent piston rod a' is movable during the np-and-down notion of the gate F, to which the said piston-rod is attaehed in its upper end, as shown, its lower end being provided with a piston or plunger, n loosely fitting within the box o', as shown. 1)' is a valve-hole in the lower part of the box o and q' is an air-inlet valve covering the inside of said valVe-hole p as shown.

The operation of said modification is as fol- ]ows: During the first part of the descent of the gate F it is allowed to fall freely by its own gravity until the piston n' reaehes the lower end ot' the slot o", when the air in the lower part of the box o' is compressed by the piston n', and thus gradually retards the downward motion ot' the gate F until it finally comes to rest on its bearings.

Having thus fully described the nature, construction, and operation ot' my invention, 1 wish to secure by Letters Patent, and claim- 1. The berem-described automatic gate device for elevators, consisting of the gate F, with its projections or rollersffflj and projections b h h' h', the grooves g g', and the automatic gate-lifters k k' k k' ou the elevatorcar c, for the purpose set forth.

2. In combination with the gatc F, its projections or rollers ffj* j and projections h h', the grooves g g and gate-lifters k k', the airbox 0, with its weight m, pisten n, valve q, openings p a', and cord l, or their equivalents, as and for the purpose set forth.

In testinony whereot' I have atfixed my signature in presence of two witnesses.

GEORGE XVOODS.

\Vitnesses ALBAN ANDRN, HENRY OHADBOURN. 

